A Corpus Christi-area state representative told a Beaumont audience today that the state insurance department wants to tax auto insurance policies of residents who live along the state's 14 coastal counties to raise more money to pay for windstorm insurance.

State Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, said the Texas Department of Insurance intends to hold a public hearing on auto policy assessments in March and wants to raise awareness of it among the 14 counties.

"I will call for Windstorm Unit in Action, for the 14 counties to come together," Hunter said in comments ahead of the meeting.

Hunter serves on a joint House-Senate select committee with oversight of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, which acts as a kind of insurer of last resort to provide insurance protection in windstorms like Hurricanes Ike and Rita.

Most major private insurers have abandoned windstorm protection in their home policies since Rita struck in 2005.

Hunter said he plans to file a coastal windstorm funding bill in the January 2015 session of the Legislature. He said assessments on the insurance policies of vehicle owners is unfair.

He said the state doesn't allow similar taxation for areas that are hit by hailstorms where losses can be large. Amarillo suffered damages of $500 million in a hailstorm last year and the Dallas area suffered $2 billion from a 2012 hailstorm. Those storms are much more frequent than hurricane strikes.

"The Texas Department of Insurance claims the Legislature passed a law that forces them to do this," Hunter said, referring to the auto policy assessment.

"Let the Legislature handle that by policy, not by rule (making by the insurance department)," he said.

"Roping off auto policies is not rule-making. That's policy. That's the Legislature's job," he said.